Devon food giant doing the right thing for those in need
Devon’s leading food entrepreneur has urged other manufacturers to join him to help tackle the continuing food insecurity crisis gripping UK households.
The owner of 2 Sisters Food Group’s Willand factory, Ranjit Singh Boparan, has signalled his intention to increase food donations from his food manufacturing empire following his announcement last November to work in partnership with retailers and food charity Fareshare.
Millions of people – including one in five families with children – have gone hungry or skipped meals in recent weeks because they could not regularly afford to buy groceries, according to new food insecurity data.
According to the latest Food Foundation tracker, 15% of UK households – equivalent to approximately eight million adults and three million children – have experienced food insecurity in 2024, as the cost-of-living crisis continues to hit the pockets of low-income families. It is estimated this figure has doubled in the last three years.
Mr Boparan said: “We have a moral responsibility to do the right thing. It cannot be right that in the UK in 2024 people are struggling to feed themselves. No-one should go to sleep on an empty stomach at night, especially not children.
“I have previously committed to supporting the King’s Coronation Food Project and in partnership with M&S, we are working to boost Fareshare’s distribution efforts. However, I do feel it is time for individual companies who make food to step up and help alleviate this problem. This also requires a big effort from our supply chain and it’s fantastic to see so much goodwill and support.”
In November, Mr Boparan met His Majesty the King in support of the Coronation Food Project following his pre-Christmas donation of one million portions, donated in partnership with M&S.
The Coronation Food Project encourages supermarket and food manufacturers to join FareShare's innovative "Alliance Manufacturing" programme to redistribute even more surplus food to charities nationwide.
Mr Boparan’s food businesses employ more than 850 colleagues in Willand, with more employed at his farms spread across the county. His UK food production empire spans a variety of products, ranging from pies, pizzas, chicken, ready meals, turkey to biscuits.
Now Mr Boparan has set his colleagues, supply chain and customers a challenging and ambitious target to collectively donate five million equivalent portions annually.
These donations will be through a combined effort with retail partner M&S, who will donate over one million portions. The remaining four million will be food donated using surplus products and leveraging critical support from across the supply chain.
Colleagues at his breaded chicken facility in Thetford, East Anglia, have stepped up to the challenge and are donating one million meal portions to FareShare during May alone.
The food includes products such as coated chicken steaks, coated chicken mini fillet tenders, coated boneless chicken pieces and coated bone-in chicken portions.
Products donated from Willand are expected in the next 12 months.
George Wright, CEO of FareShare, added: "As FareShare enters its 30th year it is important that we look ahead to the future of tackling food waste. We want to work collaboratively to innovate and find ways to make sure more good-to-eat food gets to people who need it, rather than to waste.
“By securing the support of partners in the supply chain to donate the equivalent of a million portions of chicken, Ranjit Singh Boparan is setting a great example to businesses across the food and manufacturing industries to share resources to help unlock the social and environmental impact of surplus food.
“We are thrilled to see Ranjit leading the way. Working together will help us combat the environmental impact of food waste and help the 8,500 charities we support strengthen communities up and down the country.”
